To Rise Again- a Pokemon Fanfic
by RedAuraGuard
Summary: When Ash is betrayed by his former friends and is sentenced to death in court, he is given a second chance. A chance to redo his journey, and become successful along with those loyal to him. How will his new journey turn out? Read on to find out!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: Return**_

_**A/N: Yay, new story! I got inspired to write one as I was battling online, so I took the time to write it before it could slip from my mind. (Don't ask; writing can be very spontaneous. I was also inspired by a piece of fanart someone drew, which I will post a link to later on. No spoilers!)**_

_**By the way, if anyone wants to battle me on Showdown (I prefer OU singles and VGC doubles, though I'll also do Smogon Doubles and UU singles), then my username is "Lucarrio" (no points for originality).**_

_**Anyway, enjoy!**_

Ash was riding a ferry back to Pallet Town, after having lost to Tobias in the Sinnoh League. He sighed; how on earth did Tobias get a Darkrai and Latios? Sometimes, Ash felt rather put out that he kept losing League matches like this; when he has a shot at stardom, it gets ripped away from him in one way or another. Whether it was a disobedient Pokemon, not being strong enough, or just failing at the last stretch, his dreams had been pushed farther away from him after each tournament.

He looked at Pikachu, and the pair smiled at each other. Pikachu was the one Pokemon that was always there for him in every League conference. _But maybe that's why I've always lost; my pride's always been in the way. Starting fresh in each and every region is what's costing me badly. Meeting new Pokemon's always great, but I need some of my other anchors as well. Look at Paul; he may be a real jerk ninety percent of the time, but he's always had Pokemon from other regions as well. That's why he never had to re-do any of the Gyms in Sinnoh. I won't train like he has, but maybe I should follow his example when it comes to Pokemon selection. _

_ But what if I'm not cut out for it anymore… I mean, look at my rankings! Always, I was one Pokemon away from either advancing on or winning the League. Except for Tobias. Damn that team full of Legendaries…_

"Attention, passengers! We will be arriving in Vermillion City shortly. Please remain on the ship until it has come to a complete stop, and do not forget any luggage that you brought along. Thank you for riding the SS. Anne," the deep voice of the ship's captain boomed as the dock approached. Ash and Pikachu smiled at the sight of their home region, and bother were ready to see Ash's mother again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hi, dear!" Delia Ketchum exclaimed as she saw her son walk through the door. "How are you?"

"Doing great, Mom!" her son replied. "Kinda bummed out that I lost, but otherwise I'm fine."

She waved a dismissive hand. "He had Legendaries, and you beat two of them! That's more than enough cause to celebrate!" She snapped her fingers, and people sprang up from behind the various objects in the house. Ritchie and Misty popped out from behind the couch; Max appeared from behind the front door (nearly scaring Ash out of his mind); Brock, May, and Dawn sprang out of a newly-installed closet. Tracey, Barry, Professor Oak, and even Tory came down the stairs in a hurry, though the blonde nearly fell in his haste.

"SURPRISE!" they all shouted. "Welcome home!"

The Trainer's eyes boggled at the sight of all of his friends. "Wow, you guys! You came all this way to see me again?"

"No, we came as tourists," Max commented sarcastically. "Yes, we came to see you! What do you think?!" This got bursts of laughter from everyone in the room.

"Enough of the formalities. Let's party!" This came from Brock, motioning for everyone to head to the backyard. Everyone did so, and widened their eyes. A massive feast awaited them; massive plates piled high with hamburgers, roast beef sliced in thick chunks throughout the table. Ash saw different kinds of vegetables; fried, roasted, or just raw with dressing to the side. Many more succulent dishes were scattered throughout the banquet. His mouth watered; _just what I need to recharge and get ready to storm the next League!_

The next few hours were a blur of excitement, laughter, chat, and more. Sitting at the head of the table, Ash talked with Max, Ritchie and Tory about their lives after their adventures. Max was soon to become a Pokemon Trainer; only a week or so until his tenth birthday. He was training at home with his dad, using the Gym Pokemon. Ritchie planned on challenging Hoenn, a region which he had never been to before. Tory had become a Trainer recently (which made Max jealous), starting off with Plusle and Minun. All three looked the most glad to see the returning Trainer. Ash looked around to see the rest of his friends having fun.

Brock was having a discussion with Tracey about Pokemon, while Misty was laughing at a joke that Gary told her. Dawn was apparently being chased by Barry, who was holding a cup of… something. Some of it spilled onto the ground, and Ash only saw a flash of murky brown. He didn't want to know what it was. May was watching from the sides, almost choking on her (rather large) plate of food at the sight of the two.

They also had small competitions with each other. A dance competition, in which the competitors had to dance for the most laughs. It boiled down to Gary and Brock as the finalists, and the breeder won. His dance was a made-up version of the dougie that would terrify any other lady who happened to pass by. The audience, however, nearly suffocated in laughter. Skill-wise, however, Pikachu couldn't be beaten. The Counter-Shield technique developed in Sinnoh would have made the Pokemon a candidate in a worldwide dance competition.

Next was a poker competition, where the participants bet actual money. May opted out of the activity, and everyone wondered why. Until they saw Max play.

"What do you mean you had all four aces?! I'm going to fine you big-time for this!" Barry roared, slamming his cards down on the table and tossing the money at Max.

"A pair of jacks and a pair of queens! Hah!" Dawn cried triumphantly as he showed his cards, believing that she beat the younger boy. He simply smirked and showed his cards; two kings and three fives. She groaned and gave the bet money to Max.

"Come on, Max. You wouldn't take me down, right?" Ash said, smiling in a cheesy manner. In his hands were a pair of threes and three other miscellaneous cards. All his opponent did was toss in another dollar, calling it, and show his hand; a pair of fours. The older Trainer just sighed.

Finally, they held a small three-on-three Pokemon tournament in Professor Oak's backyard (in an area without any of the reserved Pokemon). Max was watching on the edge of his seat for every one of Ash's battles, as if he was watching the finals of a world tournament. It boiled down to Ash versus Gary, who came out of his retirement as a Trainer once more. A brutal battle between Pikachu and Umbreon ensued, their friends roaring with cheers as attacks were exchanged and explosions billowed out. In the end, the Electric Mouse's last Volt Tackle was too much, and the Dark-type's legs folded from underneath it. Cheers and compliments for both sides were given, and everyone prepared to go to sleep. Delia offered to host everyone, and almost everyone accepted. Professor Oak had to continue his research, though he enjoyed the party thoroughly.

"Hey, May. You could sleep with Ash in his room tonight," Max slyly suggested, causing his sister to chase him in embarrassment and the others to laugh. In the end, everyone decided to camp outside like they did on their adventures. Pulling out sleeping bags, spare mattresses, and marshmallows, the group relaxed from the day's fun.

Ash smiled in content. _I wouldn't mind spending every day like this. The only thing I'd complain about is losing twenty dollars to Max, but oh well. I'm glad they came over; I was losing my inspiration. _Pikachu nuzzled its Trainer's cheek, making the pair smile.

Finally, it was time to stop eating and talking, and go to sleep for the night, all promising to continue the next day. Looking outside from the house, Delia, though she didn't mind the cooking one bit, was privately thankful that the Professor was able to obtain large amounts of food in no time because he also cared for massive numbers of Pokemon, as the next day could be a big one. How big, no one could have ever guessed…

_**A/N: This is probably my shortest (and quite possibly worst) chapter ever. Sorry if it's a bit rushed, but it's just some fluff for the future chapters. (Use your imagination for what kind of dance Brock did. I dare you!)**_

_**Anyway, things have been surprisingly busy lately. I've been visiting my relatives, preparing for school (again, ugh), and getting my eyes checked. The puff of air that they do makes my eyes hurt.**_

_**Read, review, and I'll see you next time!**_

_**~RedAuraGuard, signing out.**_


	2. Apology for Lack of Updates

_** Wow, how long has it been since my last update?**_

_** I am SO SORRY for not being able to update within the past few weeks (or is it a month?). My computer's being acting weirdly for a while, misplacing docs, etc. Also, the internet's been… sporadic as of late. To top it off, I've had tests to study for.**_

_** Again, my deepest apologies for the delays, and I hope to update more. :D**_

_**~RedAuraGuard**_


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